Cartridge-clip.



. Patented lunel Il', I90I.

R. W. SCOTT.

-CARTB-IDGE .C LIP.

No. 676,37l.

2 Sheets-Shes! i.

' (Application led Dec. 10, 1900,) (No Model.)

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2 Shets-Shet 2.

Patented `.luna Il, 90I.

R. W. lSCOTT.

CARTRIDGE CLIP.

(Application led Dec. 10, 1900.)

v(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT- einen.

ROBERT W. SCOTT, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA, ASS-IGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO LOUIS N. D. WILLAMS, OF ASHBOURNE, PENNSYLVANIA'.

cnaraineecme.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent bio. 6'?6,8'71, dated J' une 1 i., 1901.

Application filed December 10, 1900. Serial No. 39,387. (No model.)

To al?, whom it may concern:

Be it known that l., ROBERT W. SCOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Cartridge-0lips for Magazine-Rides, of which the following is a-specication.

The object of lmy invention is to provide a simple, convenient, and eective form of clip or charger whereby a number of cartridges constituting-the magazine charge for a 'modern rifle can be conveniently carried and introduced rapidly and with accuracy into a magazine having a side opening-such, for instance, as that of the United States magazine-rifle, caliber .30", and others of the same class. This object I attain in the manner hereinafter setforth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure l is a plan view of sucient of a magazine-rifle to illustrate the manner of loading the magazine with cartridges contained in a clip in accordance with my invention,

the side gate being open and the clip of cartridges adjusted into position to permit the` cartridges to be pushed from the clip into the magazine. Fig, 2 is a view, partly in lelevation and partly in transverse section on the line a a, Fig. llooking rearwardly or toward the stock of the gun. Fig. 3 is a similar 'view showing the cartridges being pushed from the clip into themagazine. Fig. ,e isa face View of the clip, partly in section. Fig. 5 is a seetion on the line b b, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a section on the line d d, Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a View of'a reversible clip, embodying my invention. Fig. S isa face View of a clip with special form of spring in accordance with my invention; and Fig. 9 is a section on the line ff, Fig. 8.

flan rifles of the United States magazine '.30" caliber type the magazine 1 is below the channel in which Works the longitudinal bolt, whereby the cartridge is pushed into the breech end of the barrel and the empty shell is extracted therefrom, such magazine opening at the right-hand side of the action, ait which point there isa swinging gate 2 for closing said open end of the magazine, this gate having a spring-follower 2a for feedingV the cartridges across the platform formed by the bottom of the magazine, so as to bring them successively into range of the longitudinally-reciprocating breech-bolt. So far as nI am aware no eiective clip has heretofore been devisedfor carrying the five cartridges constituting the magazine-charge for a ride of this class, although Such a clip is highly 'desirable because the use of a clip permits the entire series ot' cartridges to be pushed 6o into the magazine-chamber at one operation, and thereby provides for the loading of the magazine more quickly than when thecartridges haveto be introduced one by one.' My invention has therefore been designed with the View of providing a clip whereby the Aside-opening magazine. of a gun ot this class can almostinstantly receive its charge of cartridges and be closed, soas to retain the same.v

The clip consists of aplate 3 of sheetmetal 7o having at each edge L-shaped .flanges 4, forming guides forthe heads of the cartridges, sai@ clip containing a spring-plate 5 for bearingv upon said headsand exerting such pressure thereupon as to prevent their accidental re- `lease from the clip. This spring may be re' tained in place in the clip in any desired manner,- the preferable method of accomplishing this result being to strike up from the metal ofthe spring tongues 6, which prb- 8o ject into openings in the plate 3 and serve to lock the spring longitudinally to the latter. One of the ianges of the clip is shorter than the other, so as' to permit the heads of the cartridge to emerge from the clip on that side only, and the outer wall ot the opposite fiange is slightly curved-as, for'nstance, at '-i'n order to impart to the cartridges their initial direction of movement as they are being discharged from the clip.

The bottom of the trough-like structure constituting the clip projects beyond the flanges and is rounded or beveled, so that the clip can readily assume dierent anglesin respect tothe bottom of the magazine 1 of 95 tridges from the clip being Asustained bythe cartridge-head, so thaty the heads hf .the car-p tridges can pass freely. between the end of said short iiange and the bottom-of the magazine, the pressure :required to strip the carend of the clip itself and not bythe cartridges, Whether the clip is held in aposition at right angles to the bottom of the magazine or at a Hatter angle, as when the clip is iirst inserted.

That portion of the bottom of the clip which constitutes the upper outer corner when the clip is inserted into position on the gun is' rounded, as shown at 8, so as to permit the thumb to pass down outside of said clip without risk of injury b y contact with a sharp corner.

It desired, the clip may be made ble-:that is to say, it may have the short flange and L extended bottom of the trough at each end, as shown, for instance, yin Fig.' 7'- so that the cartridge maybe delivered :from either end of the clip and the latter may be used either end up. y

In magazine-rifles of the class noted, which are now in use, the magazine is so contracted in-lengtudinaldimensins that there is just enough space for the cartridges to enter it. Hence I find it desirable to slightly bend or bevel -the projecting portion off the troughlike clip--as shown, for instance, at 9 in Fig.

5-'in order that the same may conform to the angle' of the rear Wall of the magazine, as shown in Fig. 1, and thus permit the support of the clip in such position that the cartridges can readily pass therefrom into the magazine;

To insure' the proper feeding of the cartridges into the magazine, it is necessary that the clip shall b e held with comparative rigidity in the directionA of the length of the gun, and for this reason I form in the ange 10, with which the swinging gate 2 is provided, a notch 1-1, into which the edge of the clip can be entered` and which serves not only to hold the clip at a proper angle-in respect to the magazine, but also to prevent the bullet'held in the neck of the cartridge from coming into contact with the platform or oor of the magazine, as would be the case if the charged clip Was not prevented by the restraining iniiuence of the guide-notch in the gate from tilting forwardly and down wardly. Obviously if the bullet end of the cartridge should rest on the platform before the head of the cartridge had passed out of the clppart of the pressure required for strippingv the cartridges from the clip would be sustained by the bullet end of the lowerreversi-- ergert most cartridge, and this would result in locking the rim of the cartridge under the flanges of the clip, and thus prevent the free delivery of the cartridges from the clip and into the magazine. Y

It Will be noted that in the use of my im'- proved clip the cartridges are introduced into the magazine by pressure andAnot as in ordinaryv practice by their own gravity, for when the latter method is adopted there is danger, in thecase of rim-cartridges, ofy the rim oi' the leading cartridge overlapping the rim of the next following cartridge. Hence when the edge of the holt contacts with the rim of the leading cartridge when about to .carry it forward and into the chamber of theA gun the pressure isv really exerted upon bo'th the leading cartridge and the folloving car` tridge which its rim overlaps', and as the carf .tridge not directly engagedby the bolt is still lbelow the exit-aperture of the magazine a jam results, and under the pressure .applied the rims of "one or both cartridges maybe torn away, making su bsequ entextractio'n unf,

certain, or the projectile o f the cartridge which is below'v the exitaperture o'f the maga'- zine may be forced back .upon the explosive. vcharge of the cartridge, so as tocompress the latter and cause excessive generation of pres sure When it is fired. The lprobability of such overlapping of the cartridge rims `is much greater where cartridges are used which are shorter overpall'than the service'or standard cartridge.' For', instance, if multishotcartridges of theicharacter set forth in my application for patent iledvNoveniber 155,.l

1899, Serial No. 7 37,5 l0, are fed by gravity into the magazine it is diicult to prevent improper overlapping of their rimmed heads, because of their play in the magazine in the direction of their length. When, however, such cartridges are fed from my improved clip byl pressure, their heads contact with the irl-,vv

clined or angled rear Wall of the magazine as vsoon as they pass out of the c1ip,'and the rim of each cartridge naturally assumes suchposition as to underlap the rim of the cartridge whichfollows it.

Besides forming the notch 11 inthe dange;

l,as shown in Fig. l, and Athecplip, with its charge of cartridges, has .been entered in the guide-notches, the cartridges can bei-nstantly forced from the clip into the magazine\by the pressure of the thumb on the outermost `car.

tridge of the row, as in Fig. 2, and as this pres-v sure is continued the thumb swingsdown 1n IOO front of the clip and the latter is gradually raised until when the last cartridge is passing into the magazine the clip will be substantially vertical, as shown in Fig. 3, whereupon a empty clip, while at the same time the raising movement of the hand closes the gate and brings the firearm into condition to deliver the magazine charge.

It should be understood that when the heads of the cartridges are referred to,such lterm is meant to include either cartridges having projecting rims or so-called rimless cartridges, in which-the head has -an annular groove for the reception of the extractor, as

l either the rimmed or the rimless heads will operate properly in connection with my im' nate, as shown in Fig. 9. 3'

proved clip. The term trough-shaped, moreover, as used inthe specification does not necessarilymean a trough with closed bottom, as simple cross-bars or other equivalent constructions may be employed to retain the guide-,anges of the clip in their proper relative positions.

In order to insure a more uniformly distributed pressure of the spring 5 upon the heads of the cartridges, I preferin some cases to slit the spring centrally throughout the greater portion of its length, as shown in Fig. 8, and to bend the two spring members 16 thus formed so that their corrugations will alter- Hence the head of eachV cartridge in the clip is subjected to the pressure of one or other or both of these spring members.

I do no therein claim the constructionV of the rifle a'nd its gate with notches for retain'- ing the clip in proper position in respect to the magazine, as this invention forms the subject of a separate application tiled by lne on the th day o'f January, 1901, Serial No.

Havingthusdescribed my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Pat-V 1. A cartridge-olip having iange's-for en-l gaging the heads of the cartridges, leaving the bodies free for exertion of pressure thereon,

said clip having a bottom projecting beyond the heads'ot' the cartridges can pass between said floor and the end of said lian ge on the de-- liveryside of the clip.

2. A fianged cartridge-cli p having the bot-- ,tom extending beyond the flange on the dei 'floor of the magazine.

p l livery side of theclip to such extent that rearward movement of the thumb ejects the I toni extending beyond the fiange on the de.

livery side of the clip to such extent that when said extended portion rests upon the floor of the magazine the heads of the cartridges can pass between said floor and the end of the flange, the outer a'nge of the clip extending downwardly beyond the' flange on the delivery side, and having its lower portion inclined toward the center of the clip whereby the cartridges are given their initial direction of movement in delivery.

4. A flanged cartridge-clip having a bottom projecting beyond the iiange on the delivery side of the clip to an extent equal to the-'width of the cartridge-head, so that the heads of the cartridges can pass between the flange on the delivery side of the clip and the :door of asideopening magazine, when said bottom rests on the door of the magazine, said extended' bottom being bent or beveled to coliform to the inclined rear wall of the magazine.

5. A flanged cartridge-clip having a bottom projecting beyond the fiange on the delivery side oli' the clip to an extent equal to the width otthe cartridge-head, so that the heads of the cartridges can pass between the liange on the delivery side of the clip and the floor of a sidoopening magazine, when said bottom rests on the floor of the magazine, said extended bot# tomV being rounded or beveled to' permit change of angle of the clip with respect tothe 6. A hanged cartridge-clip having arounded upper outer corner and a bottom extending beyond theange on the delivery 'sideof the clip to an extent equal to the width of the cartridgehead, so that when said extended portion rests upon the door of the magazine, the heads of the cartridges can pass between said floor and the end of the flange.

In testimony whereof I have signed my namev to this specification in the presence ot'l too 

